The PSL-F2 Logistics Manila hopes its strong fighting spirit would make up for its lack of experience in the 2016 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship happening at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The PSL-F2 spikers yielded in their first match against Rexona-Sesc Rio, 25-15, 25-13, 25-20, Tuesday night, and although the numbers can be deceiving, the hometown bet still gave their powerhouse rivals a challenging match.

Even Rexona-Sesc Rio Coach Bernardo Rezende noticed PSL-F2’s team spirit after his squad had to crawl back from a 14-7 third-set deficit to seal the victory.

“The Philippines is not yet an experienced team at this level, but I like their fighting spirit,” said Rezende. “They help each other. Their attitude towards each other was great. Every time they commit mistakes, they always say ‘my fault’ and they don’t point fingers.”

Rezende added experience is a great factor in this high-caliber tournament.

“This is a good beginning for them. They have to play more in this level. It’s going to be tough if you only play in this level once a year,” Rezende said.

For PSL-F2 players, their first loss in this top-notch event is already a learning experience.

The team, however, hopes that they can use it as a springboard in their next two matches in the two-bracket preliminaries.

They clash with Pomi Casalmaggiore at 7:30 p.m. today, followed by defending champion Eczacibasi Vitra Istanbul at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

“Our chemistry gets better every day, so I think it will help us propel to do better in our next match,” said Stephanie Niemer, one of the seven foreign reinforcements of the squad.

“We worked for only 25 days and that’s where the problem was. Overall, I’m happy we showed that we can stand up against a very experienced team like Rexona-Sesc Rio,” said PSL-F2’s Serbian mentor Moro Branislav.

“The girls gave their best, but we just lacked the experience to handle the rallies. We just have to work more,” Branislav added.